[JohnR]

Yesterday in Point Judith, Officers Jeff Mercer and Anthony Esposito of DEM’s Division of Law Enforcement (DLE) seized 13 striped bass – 12 more than allowed for a recreational angler – from a Warren man returning from a fishing trip near Block Island. Upon boarding the boat, the Environmental Police Officers observed two stripers in plain sight but found the other 11 fish hidden in a compartment under the bow. Officers Mercer and Esposito charged Michael A. Saviano, 37, of Warren, with one count of exceeding the possession limit of striped bass and one count of failure to cut the pectoral fin. RI fisheries regulations require removing the right pectoral fin of a striped bass that’s at least 34 inches long at the time of harvest to signify that it was caught recreationally. It is illegal for recreational anglers to sell their catch.



The fisherman potentially faces $1,200 in fines — $100 for each fish illegally taken. DLE donated the fish to Amos House, the Providence-based social services agency that runs the state’s largest soup kitchen.



For more information on fishing seasons and catch limits, visit http://www.dem.ri.gov/marine

From DEM